Around Campus

Extreme gratitude: Is there an app for that?

By Isabel Pease

The evening of December 23 is typically a quiet time at the University of North Florida. Students are long gone and by 5:05 p.m. most faculty and staff have already left the campus heading out for last minute shopping or home to their families for an extended winter break. Virtually every corner of campus is deserted.

That was not the case, however, last December 23 in and around the School of Computing. Instead, there was a flurry of activity well into the evening as technical support staff unboxed and set up 60 new devices — 30 of the latest iMac desktop computers and 30 iPad Airs — donated by iMobile3, a Jacksonville-based software company specializing in payment solutions for mobile devices.

"Everyone was excited and our technical support worked through the night to make sure the computers were ready to go when students returned after the break," said Dr. Sherif Elfayoumy, director of the School of Computing. "There was even staff that returned on Christmas Eve to make sure everything was complete."

The computers and iPads were gifts for the mobile computer lab now being used by UNF students studying application development. Bob Leonard, CEO and co-founder of iMobile3, said the company feels strongly about giving back to the local community and helping UNF build a strong mobile computing program.

"Companies are always looking for students with exceptional skill sets," Leonard said. "To develop those, however, it’s important that they get trained on the best equipment."

Elfayoumy said the computer equipment previously in the lab was on a standard currency upgrade cycle, but because new technology moves forward at such a fast pace, many still could not handle current software.

"The new computers and devices are enabling our students to get trained on the same type of software that development companies are using today in the market," he said. "This is important, particularly for internships and after graduation, because what they are working on in our lab is relevant to the industry now."

Leonard, who has a special connection to UNF — his father was a longtime professor of history, Thomas Leonard — said the partnership between UNF and iMobile3 goes beyond the gift of the equipment.

iMobile3 is also providing the mobile application class with technical staff from the company as guest lecturers, as well as real projects for students to participate in and gain experience.

"The objective is for students to have a clear real-world perspective about what is happening in the industry, and to have an opportunity to interact with those doing it every day," Leonard said.

Around Campus

Interfaith leader named a Common Good Hero

Tarah Trueblood has a new title — Common Good Hero. The director of the Interfaith Center received the honor at the Atlantic Institute’s annual Peace and Dialogue Awards Dinner last month.

Nominated in an essay by graduate student, Fulterius King, Trueblood was celebrated for the positive impact she’s had on King and so many other students at the University of North Florida.

The essay contest, "Humans of Jacksonville: Untold Stories of Unsung Heroes," was open to students from UNF, Jacksonville University, Edward Waters College and Florida State College of Jacksonville. King said when he read about the award, Trueblood immediately came to mind. "Tarah is the epitome of a devoted leader," he said in his nomination. "She empowers students and shows concern about their wellbeing."

King got to know Trueblood working as an intern in the Interfaith Center. "I am so grateful to know Tarah and have her as a mentor," King wrote. He said Trueblood empowered him to become a leader on campus and she continues to provide constructive support whenever he needs it.

The contest is unique in that it recognizes both the nominator and the nominee. Trueblood says she won a lovely trophy but was especially excited because King received a cash prize. King considers Trueblood his most significant role model during his time in college.

Around Campus

UNF students win funding for social change

By Isabel Pease

UNF junior Courtney Lynch believes that college students have a role to play in their community. She also believes that they can have a significant impact on high-school students and college readiness. Last month, a panel of judges agreed with her and awarded a $5,000 grant to help Lynch put in motion a mentoring plan for 10th grade students at Terry Parker High School.

The grant was part of a pilot initiative between United Way of Northeast Florida and the University of North Florida. The initiative, Upstream, empowers college students to seek solutions to community challenges.

Tied for first place with Lynch were seniors Jessica Stephens and Dayna Cohen, who also received $5,000 toward their program, Mindful Friends, which seeks to alleviate the stigma of mental illness among school-aged students. The funding will help implement the program at Ribault Middle School.

The projects were presented after a three-month process in which UNF students were paired with a coach from United Way’s Stein Fellowship program. United Way’s Stein Fellowship program is a mentoring initiative that teams up young professionals and students with established community leaders.

“United Way was thrilled to expand our partnership with the University of North Florida through our inaugural Upstream initiative,” said Michelle Braun, United Way of Northeast Florida’s president and CEO.

Braun said United Way has worked closely with UNF’s Center for Community-based Learning for several years, and in 2013, established a student United Way chapter on campus.

“Through Upstream, UNF students can further set the pace of success here in Northeast Florida,” Braun said. “Their innovative ideas for social change are inspirational and a key to our community’s long-term strength and stability.”

Dr. Mark Falbo, director of the Center for Community-based Learning, said he was pleased to see so many students step forward with their ideas and appreciates United Way providing a platform for them to do so.

Lynch’s plan, Embedded Within, pairs college mentors with high school students for one-on-one and group mentoring. The project seeks to boost academic success and get students engaged and ready for college. “Embedded Within introduces students to college early in their high school career and encourages them to take initiative,” said Lynch. “A crucial part is to have college mentors help tutor the students in their school work and also provide words of experience that inspire and challenge the students to strive to be their best.”

Other students, Katherine Sanchez and Katie Kilpatrick, won $2,500 toward their project S.H.O.U.T. (Spreading Hope through Openness, Understanding and Truth). The project is an afterschool program for eighth graders at James Weldon Johnson Middle School that will promote emotional and intellectual growth, addressing the stigma of mental health.

Dr. Earle Traynham, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said Upstream has given UNF students valuable opportunities to be engaged in the Jacksonville community. “As part of their public education here at UNF, students are immersed in learning about the needs of the community, and they are working to make it stronger,” he said.

The opportunity to work with business professionals was a bonus for the participants, but the local leaders were inspired by the students as well.

David Miller, chairman of Brightway Insurance and United Way’s Upstream lead investor said, “They are the types of individuals who possess the same dedication, diligence and creative thinking as my top recruits, and I look forward to continuing to engage with similar out-of-the-box thinkers next year.”

Projects were evaluated by Miller and other local leaders including: Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity LLC; Audrey Moran, senior vice president for social responsibility and community advocacy at Baptist Heath; Rena Coughlin, president of The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida; Carlton Robinson, senor director of entrepreneurial growth division of the JAX Chamber; and The Honorable Linda McCallum, Fourth Circuit Court Judge.

Around Campus

Vibrant and materially inventive, Shinique Smith’s signature bundles of tied clothing will hang in the 40-foot-high Atrium Gallery against a backdrop of painted calligraphy and mirrored surface March 19 through June 26 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a cultural institute of the University of North Florida.

The cascading sculptures in her coming “Project Atrium” installation twirl and perform like dancers or shooting stars, while the intersection of material, motion and reflection creates a thought-provoking visualization about personal identity and individual style. Underneath its colorful surface, however, Smith also presents a three-dimensional outlook on our socio-cultural climate. The exhibition, entitled “Quickening,” undeniably alternates between overt message and subtext. Blossoming into the space, the site-specific installation radiates positive energy outward to the rest of the Museum. Visitors can watch Smith install the work March 14-18.

“Quickening” is futuristic in nature, as it revisits and reinterprets ideas about speed and modernity in the present day. Its overall shattered appearance suggests a cosmic universe, where various materials and metallic elements coalesce and play. The alternating collaged panels and acrylic mirrors spawn out of a central focal point on the back wall. Light and airy, the use of tulle and sheen creates a glistening effect against washes of color and black calligraphic line. The suspended bundles — nearly fifty in total from hand-sized to large pumpkins — hover in the space and register as constellations or meteoroids exploding from its center. “Quickening” is an opportunity to time travel into the future as it evokes “utopian thoughts of a bright today (or tomorrow),” Smith told MOCA Jacksonville.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Smith now lives and works in upstate New York. Her work is inspired by the vast nature of “things” that we consume and discard, which resonate on a personal and social scale. The graffiti of her youth, Japanese calligraphy and abstraction are influences from which she extracts “the graceful and spiritual qualities in written word and the everyday.” Smith’s work has been widely exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, the New Museum in New York, MOMA/PS1 in New York, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. Smith earned her B.F.A. (1992) and M.F.A. (2003) from Maryland Institute College of Art, where she now serves on the Board of Trustees, and her master’s degree in teaching (2000) from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University, both in Massachusetts.

Around Campus

$5 million in state funding available for IPTM

By Amanda Dawson

The Institute of Police Technology and Management at
the University of North Florida has secured commitments of $5 million from the Florida
Department of Transportation to fund traffic safety programs and provide
training to law enforcement officers.

“The funding is geared toward specific needs critical to the
state of Florida,” explained Cammy Pucci, IPTM director. “These sub-grants allow us to develop and
implement programs that help our law enforcement officers improve public safety
and reduce traffic crashes, serious injuries and fatalities.”

The grants allow IPTM to support core highway safety
campaigns, such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The
grant funding is secured as reimbursement after the programs are implemented.

Since its inception in 1980, IPTM has grown into a large and
varied law enforcement training institute, offering certifications and
more than 400 courses to approximately 10,000 law enforcement professionals each
year.

IPTM, part of UNF’s Training and Services Institute, is a direct support organization providing training to law enforcement professionals across the U.S. and abroad.

Here’s a breakdown of the grants received by IPTM:

Florida Law Enforcement Challenge —
$1,115,000

The Florida Law Enforcement Challenge is a statewide incentive program providing equipment for innovative and effective best practices in law
enforcement highway safety initiatives.

Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program —
$1,100,000

The Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program is designed to build partnerships and support for highway safety initiatives
with Florida’s city, county and state law enforcement agencies.

Florida DUI Challenge — $1,000,000

The Florida DUI Challenge is a statewide recognition
program designed to encourage law enforcement efforts in support of the Drive
Sober or Get Pulled Over highway
safety campaign.

Florida Click It or Ticket Challenge —
$455,000

The Florida Click It or Ticket Challenge encourages law enforcement efforts in support of
the Click It or Ticket highway safety campaign.

Statewide Safety Belt/Public Opinion
Surveys — $324,000

This funding provides statewide before and after safety
belt observational surveys and public opinion/awareness surveys surrounding the
annual Click It or Ticket Memorial Day mobilization.

Florida Motor Unit Challenge — $280,000

The Florida Motor Unit Challenge focuses on law enforcement motorcycle units and recognizing their efforts to
improve highway safety.

The Public Traffic Safety Professionals
Training provides training to Florida law enforcement officers in the field of
traffic crash investigation and traffic enforcement.

Drug Recognition Expert Training— $231,428

The Drug Recognition Expert Training is part of Florida’s
statewide Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program. It includes improving and
enhancing law enforcement training in drug detection and recruiting DRE
candidates from around the state to certify as DREs.

Public Traffic Safety Professionals Training provides
training to Florida law enforcement officers in the field of impaired and drugged
driving.

Region IV Law Enforcement Liaison Conference
— $75,000

This funding is provided to host the annual Law Enforcement
Liaison Conference for the southeastern region of the U.S.

DUI Media Survey — $60,000

This funding provides a public opinion survey to measure
the awareness of the statewide impaired driving media buy.

Statewide Drug Recognition Expert Call-Out—
$50,000

Statewide Drug Recognition Expert
Call-Out provides funding for overtime call-outs to allow Drug Recognition
Experts (DREs) to increase the availability of their expertise when they would
otherwise not be on duty.

Briefs

New driving range canopies help golfers beat the heat

Want to hit some golf balls over
lunch but can’t stand the heat?

The new canopied driving
range at UNF’s Golf Complex at the Hayt Learning Center is your answer. The
facility now boasts a 105-foot covered hitting area installed last fall that is
equipped with lighting and fans.

UNF men’s golf coach Scott
Schroeder, who oversees the facility, said when it’s 95 degrees outside, it is
80 degrees under the canopy. “With the hot and sometimes rainy weather we have
in Northeast Florida, the new covershot allows you to practice everyday rain or
shine,” Schroeder said.

The canopy is the only one
of its kind in Northeast Florida at a public access facility.

Around Campus

Swoop Summary

Welcome
to the Swoop Summary. Every issue of Inside, we’ll be bringing you a recap of
all the UNF Athletics accomplishments you need to know from the past month.
These are just a few highlights. For a full breakdown, head to UNF Athletics for
all the latest Osprey news, stats and info.

Men’s Basketball defeats USC Upstate in Atlantic Sun quarterfinal

The top-seeded North Florida basketball team used a tenacious defense and a trio of 20-point scorers to dominate No.8-seed USC Upstate, 92-69, Tuesday night in quarterfinal action of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament at UNF Arena.

The Ospreys (22-10) won their fourth straight game and improved to 14-1 at home this year while the Spartans end their campaign at 10-22 after falling to UNF in the conference tournament for the second consecutive year.

Making
History: UNF Women’s Golf Claim 1st Team Title at Amelia National

The North Florida
women's golf team earned a bit of history last week capturing the program's first
team title after leading wire-to-wire in the Amelia Island Collegiate held at
Amelia National Golf Club. The Ospreys carded a final round 300 and
outdistanced the field by five strokes after finishing the 54-hole event with a
total of 879.

Coffey Named
Co-Coach of the Year on Another Banner Day for Osprey Women’s Swimming

Amidst a slew of more
school records that fell on the final day of the Coastal Collegiate Sports
Association Swim Championships, Head Coach Ian Coffeywas named Co-Coach of the Year after the second highest team
point total in school history and a 146-point improvement from last year's
score.

North Florida juniorBryan Bakertook home the first Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the
Week Award for the 2016 season after collecting the win in a shutout victory
over George Washington. Baker tossed 89 pitches and allowed only two hits in
six innings pitched in game two against the Colonials.

Get to Know

Dei Allard

What do you do? I oversee the Residence Life
program in the organization. That includes staffing, residential programs,
living-learning programs, housing conduct, leadership, etc.

Years at UNF: June will be 6 years.

Tell us about your family. I have a great set of
parents who now mostly live in the West Indies. I have a brother who lives in
Canada and a sister and her family including two girls and three dogs, live in
Atlanta, GA. I have two cats — a Blue Russian and a colorful calico — that I
love dearly.

If you could choose any other
career, what would it be and why? Serve as a counselor to youth and young
adults. I enjoy helping people work through difficulties of life. FBI profiler
was my other career wish. I enjoy developing a strategy and figuring out a
puzzle.

What would you like to do
when you retire?
Travel the world

What is your favorite thing
about working at UNF? The
opportunities to work with others — students, faculty and staff.

What band(s)/musician(s)
would perform the soundtrack to your life? Adele

If you won the lottery, what
would do with the money? Of course, it depends on how much but here are a few thoughts — pay off bills, donate to my church and charities, sponsor a few foundations, go
on a year-long trip to see the world, then invest the remainder. I don’t see
myself retiring but perhaps my trips to different parts of the world would be
great.

If you were not working at
UNF, what would you be doing? Working at another institution. I love higher education environments.

What is your favorite way to
blow an hour? Netflix or Hulu! They are addicting!

If you were asked to paint a
picture about anything you wanted, what would you paint? The sun over the ocean at
dawn. The colors are breathtaking and the peace and promise of the day ahead is
inspiring.

What was the best money you
ever spent? Massages!

Is there a piece of
technology that you just couldn’t live without? My iPhone - I am hooked.

What is the proudest/happiest
moment of your life? Getting
my master’s degree

Tell us something that would
surprise people to know about you:

Before I moved to Jacksonville, I
performed in several musical community theater performances including Cinderella, and also played the trumpet for a few years in a community band.

What person had the greatest
impact on your life?
My dad. He equipped me for the world of education and my spiritual
journey. He encouraged me to be the best I could be.

What are you most passionate
about? Equity,
service and my faith

Tell us something about you
that even your friends don’t know: I want to go sky diving and parasailing.

What do you hope to
accomplish that you have not done yet? Acquire my doctorate degree – I am in
the dissertation phase in my Educational Leadership program here at UNF.

Around Campus

Osprey Profile: Justin Dato

What attracted you to UNF? How/Why did
you decide to attend the University? Why did you pick UNF over other schools?

I moved to Jacksonville in 2004. When it was time to apply for
college in 2011, I didn’t feel as close to Jacksonville as I wanted to, so I
decided to stay close to home. I decided to pick UNF over other schools because
it had a more modern feel with the Student Union recently built. Throughout my
time on campus I’ve seen newer and more innovative buildings being built such as
the Student Wellness Complex and the Biology Building. It just keeps getting
bigger.

What do you do for fun on campus?
Athletics, clubs, activities, etc.?

Ever since I came to UNF in 2011, I’ve been involved with Asian
Students in Alliance and have held multiple positions such as event
coordinator, secretary, and vice president. Being Filipino, I felt it was right
to help show off the fun and colorful culture of, not just the Philippines, but
many other countries in Asia such as Korea, Vietnam and India.

In 2013, I became involved with Student Government. I started off
as a student assistant to becoming the director of Club Alliance, an executive
agency of SG. Currently, I help serve the student body as a senator and seeing
what initiatives are best to better the student body.

In 2014, I joined the Presidential Envoys. I was just a general
member during my first year, but in my second and current year, I decided to
join the executive board and became the vice president of marketing. It’s
interesting seeing how one of the oldest organizations on campus functions and
it’s cool that I can be a part of it.

What’s your favorite UNF tradition?

Homecoming and all events Osprey Productions put up especially the
comedy show and concerts.

A recent favorite pastime is supporting the men’s basketball team.
The energy in the student section is the wildest and most positive I’ve ever
seen on campus.

What is the best thing about UNF’s
faculty and staff?

I’m a huge extrovert so I need a connection with everyone I meet.
I wouldn’t be able to do that without the small student to professor ratio. I’m
not just a number at UNF.

When you’re looking to de-stress and
relax a bit, where do you go on campus? Why do you like that spot?

Since the Asian Students in Alliance is housed under the
Intercultural Center for PEACE, you can generally find me there hanging out
with friends and meeting new people from different cultures!

Is there anything you’ve learned about
UNF during your time on campus that you think incoming freshmen should know?

What you put into your time in college is what you’ll get out. I
decided to get involved from the beginning and now I’m having the best
experience of my life.

What do you think of the campus’
natural environment?

I think it’s fantastic that I can go to class one minute, and the
next I can be paddle boarding in Lake Oneida or looking for an adventure in the
nature trails.

When you look back at your UNF
experience years down the road, what do you think you’ll most remember?

The connections I made with everyone from the students in the
different organizations I was involved in to the faculty and staff who helped
guide and advise me

What do you like most about
Jacksonville? Any favorite places around town?

Art Walk! I’m a little biased because I interned for Downtown
Vision Inc. but I genuinely enjoy the community that meets up every first
Wednesday of the month in Hemming Park.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to save the environment any way I can. I want to conduct
research so I have a better understanding of how we are affecting the planet,
and from there I want to put it in legislation. I’m also interest in possibly
getting into Environmental law as well.

How do you take your Starbucks?

Grande iced coffee with a pump of hazelnut, or a vanilla chai.

What are your tips for finding time to study?

I actually block
my schedule off in my calendar to force me to study.

Do you have any tips you want to share for working
with professors outside of class?

Actually
meet them during office hours. Professors are required to have them, so might
as well use them and get to know your instructors. Taking advantage in making
connections with your professor will take you a long way.

Faculty and Staff

Coggin
College of Business

Mark
Dawkins co-authored with Matthew M. Wieland from Miami of Ohio and
Michael T. Dugan from Augusta University, “Assessing the Elite Publication
Benefits of Academic Pedigree: A Joint Examination of PhD Institution and
Employment Institution” to be published in Accounting Perspectives. Dawkins
also co-authored with Matthew M. Wieland of Miami of Ohio and Donald L. Ariail
of Kennesaw State University, “Small and Large Faculty-Size Adjusted Accounting
Program Rankings Based on Research-Active Faculty: A Uniform Approach” to be
published in the Academy of Educational Leadership Journal.

David
Swanson had a paper titled “Full Steam Ahead: Firms in the U.S.
Economy Adjust Inventory for Changes in Transportation Costs but not the
Reverse” accepted for publication by the Transportation Journal.

College
of Computing, Engineering and Construction

School of Engineering

Dr. Patrick Kreidl co-authored, with graduate students You
Zhou and Ying Zhou, as well as Dr. Shigang Chen of the University of Florida, a paper titled
“Limiting self-propagating malware based on connection failure behavior through
hyper-compact estimators” published in theInternational Journal of Network Security
and Its Applications (IJNSA) in January.

School
of Computing

Dr. Charles Winton will be conducting the
Professional Development Workshop for The Florida Region Botball Educational
Robotics Program in March at UNF.

Drs. Jennifer Kane, Liz Gregg, Jason Lee and Terence Cavanaugh had a presentation accepted at the
Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) in Februaryin
Tampa, Florida. The presentation was titled "Think Globally, Act
Pedagogically" and has also been submitted for publication to the Sport Education Journal.

Dr. Megan Possinger, Dr. Matthew Ohlson, and doctoral
student Ali Badibanga presented their K-20
Leadership Mentoring Program research at the Eastern Educational
Research Association (EERA) annual conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Ohlson also presented with Dr. Chris
Pryor from NEFEC about their research examining
Florida Standards Aligned Instructional Leadership Practices along
with our new UNF/NEFEC graduate program recruitment and
retention partnership.

Dr. Terence Cavanaugh also presented at the EERA conference in Hilton Head, South
Carolina and his presentation was titled “The Phone Call as a New Form of
Disruptive Technology in Asynchronous Distance Learning.” On behalf of the U.S.
Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the
Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of
Scholars (CIES), Dr. Cavanaugh has
been recommended for the Fulbright Specialist Roster.

Drs. Brian Zoellner and Rick Chant presented a paper at the 68th Annual
Southeast Philosophy of Education Society Conference, jointly held with the
South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society, in Asheville, North Carolina in
February. In their session, they presented their analysis of data derived from
internship professional development plans (PDP), as utilized by secondary
education majors. Based on this examination, they shared their recommendations
for a revised PDP to better support Dewey’s reflective disposition of
open-mindedness.

Department of
Childhood Education, Literacy, and TESOL

Dr. Christian Winterbottom presented at the British Early Childhood Education Research Association conference
in Birmingham, England. He presented his research on service-learning in early
childhood, with the title of his presentation being "A Picture-Perfect Fit: Re-Connecting Praxeological-learning
and STEAM in an Early Childhood Classroom."

Department of Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter
Education

To continue with the
development of the UNF International Professional Development School (IPDS)
partnership with the University of Belize and Kuxlin Ha Government Primary
School, Drs. Susan Syverud and
Deborah Reed provided two workshops, Literacy Achievement for Young Primary Learners and Special Education, for faculty,
teachers and teacher candidates at the University of Belize in Belmopan in
February.

Drs. Deborah Reed and Susan Syverud provided a College Administration and
Faculty Experience (CAFÉ) workshop on Quality Assurance in Education for tertiary institution
stakeholders at the University of West Indies in Belize City in February. The
Consortium for Belize Educational Cooperation (COBEC) developed CAFÉ in 2002
with the purpose of faculty development and instructional improvement. On
February 5, Drs. Susan Syverud,
Deborah Reed, and John Kemppainen gave a progress report
on the development of the UNF and
Belize IPDS Partnership at the COBEC Winter Conference in
Placencia, Belize.

The Goods

Serrano Peppers

If you’re looking to step the heat up in your salsa, then consider adding a serrano pepper. Serrano peppers are most often used in salsas and sauces but can be added to other dishes, like guacamole, for a little extra kick. Dr. Corinne Labyak, a registered dietitian nutritionist and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, discusses myths and facts about the serrano pepper. To help you use it in your diet, a recipe is provided.

Myth: Serrano peppers are only grown in Mexico.

Fact: These peppers originally come from the Puebla region of Mexico. Serrano peppers are grown in both Mexico and the United States and are readily available at most supermarkets. This delightful pepper starts out as green in color but turns to red, then yellow as it ages.

Myth: Jalapenos are hotter than the serrano pepper.

Fact: The serrano pepper is hotter than the jalapeno—about five times hotter—however, the habanero is the hottest among the three peppers.

Fact: The spice in the serrano pepper is actually found in the interior veins, or ribs, near the seed heart. The seeds are in close proximity to the veins of the pepper and this makes the seeds taste hot.

Myth: You won’t feel the heat from cutting these delicious peppers.

Fact: When cutting into a serrano pepper, the capsaicin that gives the pepper its heat will burn your hands and eyes. Make sure to wear either gloves or use a spoon to scoop out the rib area and the seeds to avoid the burning sensation.

The Goods is a monthly Florida Times-Union column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program. Have a question about serrano peppers? Contact Labyak at c.labyak@unf.edu.

Directions:Add all the chopped ingredients to a serving dish. When chopping the serrano peppers, leave some of the seeds for added heat for the dish. Then sprinkle lime juice, salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients together and enjoy. Serves four.

Bright Birds Know

After finishing 10th nationally last season for three-pointers made with 317, the North Florida basketball team swooped to new heights this season from long distance as the #BirdsOfTrey currently lead the country in three-pointers having connected on a school and conference record 394.

UNF also leads the nation averaging 12.4 treys per game and are listed sixth for three-point percentage.